


The Nightshade Court

by LyzDrake



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Shadowhunters (TV), Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Female Stiles Stilinski, Government, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Politics, Royal Derek Hale, Royal Harry Potter, Royal Magnus Bane, Royal Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2018-09-28 09:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10085708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyzDrake/pseuds/LyzDrake
Summary: In light of Valentine's willingness to exterminate the Downworlders, all the down world species gather together to form an alliance with the Angelborn and protect themselves from the shadowhunters. The Warlock's have been chosen as the rulers of the Downworlders, and the Mages the rulers of the Angelborn., Together, they will form the Nightshade Court.





	1. What do you mean I'm your new King?

Chapter 1: King Magnus

 

Alec stared back at Magnus as he circled him. "Magnus, it's not that I don't want you." He said softly. "But I have a responsibility to my family. If I marry Lydia, Isabelle won't be forced to marry someone she despises, and Max, my little brother won't grow up already engaged. My parents are desperate, and Lydia and I are the best choice I can make to protect my family. No, it won't be love. But she's already lost the love of her life, and this way I can protect the ones that I love. Please don't make this more difficult for me."

Magnus sighed, and stood close to Alec. "I suppose I can't blame you. Your family is lucky to have such a dedicated brother." He pulled Alec close, and kissed him softly. "Goodbye, Alec. I hope you and Lydia find some sort of happiness."

Alec left, the door closing softly behind him. Magnus sighed and poured himself a drink. About an hour later, a fire letter appeared in front of him. Despite his absolutely foul mood, he picked it up. Only the Warlock’s council sealed their fire letters in blue wax.

 

> _Magnus Bane,_
> 
> _You are hereby summoned to the first meeting of the Downworlders to discuss and implement a plan to help survive the war brought to us by Valentine Morgenstern. The location is embedded in the magic of  this letter, and you are to reveal to no one where you are going, especially not the Shadowhunters._
> 
> _The Warlock Council_
> 
>  

Magnus reached into his magic, and pulled from the letter the location of the meeting. Then he burned the letter. The council was right. No one else could know what they were planning to do. This was breaking the Accords. Perhaps they needed the Angelborn. 

* * *

When Magnus arrived, every warlock alive was there. The council’s had all met up to decide on the best form of government back when they first formed ages ago, turns out, just in case the Accords failed. The first step for each race was to elect a "King". The races would vote on which race would be the most trustworthy to lead them all. The "Kings" not elected would become the Lord's of the High Council, plus one from the King's race. The King would be an absolute monarch, with one exception. Should the entire Council vote unanimously, then they could overturn a law they saw as unjust. It also provided for other races to join, but form each section had to be an equal monarch. Should the Angelborn join the court, they would put up a monarch. The Magicblessed already had a monarchy system, but it had fallen to the wayside over the years. Perhaps it was time they brought all the races together. The Clave was hunting Downworlders more than ever, and had lost the respect for them, viewing them like beasts. The Angelborn were unable to modify memory, and were in danger from mundane hunters, and the Magicblessed had all but torn themselves apart in a civil war.

After the council presented the steps to a new government, they offered up voting slips. Magnus tested the magic. It compelled the voter to keep their vote secret and to vote for the good of the race over themselves. Magnus put down Tessa Grey. She was powerful, and when her Shadowhunter husband and children passed, she worked to become a leader in the Downworld. She felt they could be more than monsters. After voting, he glanced at the wall recording the votes. Tessa received some votes, but not as many as he thought. He supposed her connections to Shadowhunters were a little too much. Ragnor Fell was another favorite, but he was a bit of a recluse. Magnus seemed to be a favorite as well. He winced. He wasn't sure he wanted to be King. Oh well, hopefully he wouldn’t be chosen, and if he was, it would be the best for his race. 

Turns out Alec was right. Sometimes, you do things for duty because it affects those you love. The warlocks were as close to family as Magnus had. 

 It was a surprise to Magnus when he was voted King, but then several warlocks explained why. He was on good terms with the Shadowhunters, but not overly close. He did not have as many enemies as some of the other warlocks, but he was one of the most powerful. Magnus also got along with other downworlders, unlike some of the other powerful warlocks. Tessa Grey, one of the warlocks on the Council, stood, and announced to the room. “Please kneel for Magnus Bane, King of the Warlocks. King-Elect, please approach to be crowned.”

As those around him knelt, Magnus slowly approached Tessa, who was holding a crown. It wasn’t too opulent as things went, but it was deceptive in it’s expense. It was patterned after a fleur de lis, an open design, wrought of mithril, with fire opals as the gemstones. It was not only a symbol of a King, but a great magical artifact to protect his people with. He trembled as he knelt on one knee facing the crowd and let Tessa crown him. This was really happening. No matter what happened next, he was the absolute leader of the warlocks, and possibly the entire Downworld.  

He rose, and addressed his family, his people. “Something dangerous is coming. The Clave is dangerously close to breaking the Accords, and Valentine Morgenstern murders us to further his experiments. No matter what happens next, as your King, I vow that you will be my people. I will put your needs before my own, and seek protection for you, who are my kin. Should I be named King of the Downworld, I will vow to treat fairly with all, and let nothing bias me from justice. So mote it be.”

“Long live the king, so mote it be.” Was the response. Magnus trembled with the weight of the magic that settled over him.


	2. Bureaucracy is boring and unavoidable!

Chapter 2: The Making of a Kingdom

 

After his impromptu coronation, Magnus and the Council got down to business, dismissing most of the warlocks. “Ragnor Fell and Tessa Grey were the next in line for the throne, so should I become King of Downworlders, you’ll need to hold a new election between the two of them for the Lord of the High Council, or Lady I suppose.” Magnus nodded at Tessa. “And once we manage to form ourselves into a workable kingdom, we’ll need to restructure the internal workings of the races.”

The council was nodding. One warlock, Raktavira Bajwa, who was over three thousand years old from Ancient India, suggested, “Perhaps a system more along the lines of King over Kings. The ruler would be the Saamrat, or Emperor. They could gather their own court around them, made of any Downworlders,  while under them would be the Raja’s, or Kings. These Raja’s should gather a court mostly of their race, with ambassadors from other races.”

Magnus nodded his head, but hesitated. “While warlocks were originally Indian for the most part, born through the Hindus, I am unsure about using Saamrat and Raja. The majority of our people speak English, or have a common language in Latin. I assume each race is to have a proposal on the structure of the new government?”

Raktavira nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright.” Magnus breathed. “Let’s do it this way. We’ll come up with the specific titles as a group. For now, we’ll do positions. For example, there will be a Emperor.” Tessa drew out a paper and started writing it down. “Directly underneath him will be the Kings, with the exception of his own race. For his own race, there will be a Regent, who’s job is to handle the day to day needs of his race when the Emperor is unable to until the Emperor has an heir. Once his heir is of age, he will take over ruling his race until it becomes time to become Emperor. Should the Emperor merely abdicate, he will take over the Regent duties of his race until the current Emperor’s heir is old enough. These Kings and Regent will make up a council, who’s unanimous vote could overrule an Emperor when necessary, and they will be inherited positions. The children will be Princes or Princesses, duty bound to take their parents’ place when the abdicate or die. 

In the Emperor’s court would be the Lords of the Races, elected by the Kings to act as Ambassadors  while they dealt with their own courts.  These positions are appointed with each new King, by the new ruler, from a pool of those sworn to the betterment of their races. Let’s state now that all of those with titles must be sworn with magic to to protection and betterment of their race, and to administer justice fairly, and to protect those under them. 

Each court should have a Privy Council, containing a Lord Chancellor, a Lord Steward, a Lord Ambassador, a Lord Justice, a Lord Constable, a Lord Treasurer, a Lord of the Privy Seal, a Lord Chamberlin, a Lord Protector, a Lord Marshal, and a Lord Magister, and the Emperor’s court should have the Lord High of each of these positions in his own Privy Council. As we gain land and households, we should also start naming women Chatelaine for areas, with a Head Chatelaine over them all for each royal household. There should also be a Royal Secretary, a Royal Healer and a Royal Captain of the Guard for the Kings, and and Imperial Secretary, an Imperial Healer and an Imperial Captain of the Guard for the Emperor’s court. 

From then on, we can have High Ministers to administer to various territories. As I was High Warlock of Brooklyn, we can have the High Ministers administer to the overall of each area, say America, England, Eastern Europe, ect. They should have Ministers under them to administer to each race. These ministers should be elected.”

Tessa finished writing. She re-read her notes, and they sat and modified everything, before putting it into a formal proposal, which included how the court system might work, the ranks and equivalents that would span across the courts, and the distribution of titles. While they tried not to step on any toes, they determined that once the court was established, those warlocks born afterwards would be unable to be titled for two generations, as if they were immigrants. Tessa called it the Nightshade Court, and their proposal for rule the Nightshade Proposal. The name stuck. Bitten werewolves and vampires as well as any made creature would count as immigrants as well, and would be required to either marry into a titled family, or establish themselves. Magnus proposed the establishment of title magic. 

“I had friends among the Magicblessed, and one of them gave me a volume on tile magic. We could link oaths to certain titles, like that of King or Emperor. Among the species not capable of wielding magic, we could allow Magic itself to determine if a Head of a family and his clan are able to ascend to a title with an orb, and those that are could not only use the orb, but establish Family Magic. This is magic that is added to over time. As more enter a clan and die, the magic itself grows with their experience and power, without harming their souls in the afterlife.With the exception of the Kings, we could allow this artifact to pick the noble class. Once we figure out where to hide ourselves from the Mundanes, we can come up with our own form of currency, or invite the goblins to become our bankers!”

Tessa interrupted. “Actually, that’s something I’ve been working on. The Mundane technology is such that after we establish this court, the Seelies were going to open their lands to all Downworlders until we figured something else out. I think I have. Mundanes have thousands of landfills and areas destroyed by radiation that are basically abandoned. If we went to the Magicblessed and the Angelborn for help, and helped in return, we could clean it up, glamour it, and make enough space for the three of us.”

Magnus leaned forward. “Oh?”

“While it’s true that the werewolves and a few others can navigate the Mundane world without notice, they can’t do it well. The Angelborn don’t have any discernible differences between them and the Mundanes, to the Mundane’s POV. The Magicblessed have designed ways of clearing radiation and cleaning trash and rendering the parts into things the Mundanes pay a lot of money for. Should we all pool our cash, we could start buying these areas at low costs, and working with them. If we agreed something like: 2/5 land to us, 2/5 land to the Angelborn, and 1/5 land to the Magicblessed, I’m sure they’d help us. We could divide the profit 3/5 Magicblessed, 1/5 us, 1/5 Angelborn, to make things more equal, especially if we persuade the Angelborn to go into hiding with us.”

Magnus nodded, and Tessa included it into the Nightshade proposal.

* * *

The next day, there was a huge gathering of the various Councils of the Downworlders, all crammed into a clearing in the Seelie world, as well as the individual Kings of their people, who all had their proposals. All mentions of which race created which proposal were stripped, and they had a bunch of proposals to go over. For all that Magnus liked certain elements of the proposals, he still felt they had covered all the problems better than any of the others, and fairly distributed the power to all the races, while still leaving room for the Angelborn to join them, and leaving in place the things that would make it easier for the Magicblessed to ally with them. It seems the other races agreed. 

The Kings, as the rightful leaders of their people, stood up with their decisions. The Seelies went first. Meliorn had been chosen as King. “While all proposals have shown great care for our new government, we, the Seelies, believe that the Nightshade proposal shows the greatest care is balancing the power of each race, while still allowing for an ultimate power. It also has checks and balances designed to prevent a misuse of power, and yet also prevents races from using these to take all the power for themselves. It also provides the best plan for distributing titles, and finding land away from the mundanes without arousing suspicion. It is for this reason that we nominate this proposal as the means by which we establish out government.” One by one, the other races began standing. All the Fae, including the Faeries and the Dark Elves, voted with the Seelies. They also moved for one court for them all. The Fae, excluding the Seelies, would stand as one race, since they were long lived and their numbers fewer than the others. The Vampires stood next, and cast their vote for the Nightshade proposal as well, but they had concern about the requirement that their be children, since vampires, as far as they were aware, were dead.

Magnus stood up, and after he and the Werewolves cast their votes, where the wolves aired their concern over the immigration status of any bitten wolves, but still favored the proposal, he addressed their concerns. 

“We, the Warlocks, having drafted the Nightshade proposal, would like to address the two problems brought up by the vampires and werewolves. For the vampires, I would like to point to the Magicblessed, who have proven that dying with vampire blood puts you in a magical stasis, which you are unable to reverse on your own. When you consume the blood of someone with both mundane blood, to reactivate your mundane genes, and angel blood to counteract the stasis, you become Daywalkers, with both the ability to enter the sunlight, and bear children. You will also have a limited ability to use magic on a case by case basis. And to the werewolves, we would submit that a werewolf who is bitten is not born into this life. They have no reason to be loyal to us. Therefore, while all the wolves who are willing to swear now, being that they are helping to establish this government, shall be considered citizens, we submit that all other wolves, while being able to share most rights, should be prevented from holding titles until after the third generation.”

Clearly, the wolves viewed Shadowhunter connections differently, because Clary’s friend Luke stood as King. “Wisely reasoned. Very well, the Werewolves recant their protest at this clause.”

Meliorn stood again. “As King of the Seelies, we recognize our weaknesses. Being unable to lie, we make poor leaders for any but our own. Therefore, although we recognize that we cannot stop you from voting as you will, for the best of all our people, we urge you to consider one of the other races. We ourselves nominate the Warlocks. We believe that with as much magic as we are using to establish this government and hide from the mundanes, it is only fair that we trust it’s wielders. The Warlocks, having written the most fair proposal, have already proven their wisdom to us.”

None of the others had anything to say against the warlocks, and although the Fae still nominated the Seelie, the rest voted for the Warlocks. Magnus felt like he was punched in the gut. How was he supposed to rule over a whole kingdom of Downworlders? 

After the vote, the council’s last acts were to split up the tasks needed before the coronation. Magnus, for the fist time in fifteen years, entered England, and sought out the enclave of the Magicblessed. Time to ask for some help.


	3. The child who would be King... er… Emperor!

Chapter 3: Avalon

Magnus entered the dark room, and winced at the screeching it inspired. “Shut up, you old hag!” Sirius shouted, coming into the hallway. 

Magnus smiled at him, but worried at how haggard he looked. “Sirius!” He said warmly, greeting the man with a kiss. Someone made a startled noise, and Sirius pulled away. 

“Magnus, you remember Remus.” He said warmly. Remus approached and also greeted the warlock with a kiss.

“Magnus.” Remus was warm with the warlock. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well!” He said enthusiastically. “I actually came around to speak with James.”

The room went quiet. “What?” Someone asked incredulously from behind them. “Has he been living under a rock? Who the hell is this?”

Sirius was wry. “Magnus, meet my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, Andi’s daughter.” His face went blank. “I’m sorry no one told you. James passed away.”

Magnus felt grief tear at him. “What?” He gasped. 

“He was murdered, by Voldemort. Lily too.”

Magnus’s face crumpled with grief. “Lily was pregnant.”

“Harry.” Sirius said with a smile. “He’s upstairs, if you’d like to meet him.”

Magnus hesitated, then nodded. “If James is dead, then there is something I must tell his son.”

A few people from behind him muttered, and a red headed woman piped up. “Harry is just a boy, and you have no right to act like he is an adult!” She shrieked. A dark haired boy came down the stairs, wincing at her volume. “I’m right here, Mrs. Weasley, and as much as I appreciate everything you do for me, you are not my mother. Furthermore, I am in fact nearly an adult in the eyes of the law, and thus must handle all my own affairs, as the last Potter.” He said cooly. 

Sirius smiled proudly. “Pup, I’d like you to meet Magnus Bane, a friend of ours from back in the day.”

“Hello, Mr. Bane.”

“Hello, Harry.” Magnus said warmly. “Just call me Magnus. I’m sorry to hear about your parents, they were great friends.”

Harry eyed him oddly. “But you didn’t know they were dead?”

Magnus winced. “When you’re as old as I am, fifteen years is a minor time gap. I would have tried to come back sooner, but there was a dangerous criminal killing us off.”

“How old are you?” Harry asked boldly. 

Magnus laughed in delight. “I am over 400 years old, young wizard, and much wiser than Albus too many names Dumbledore. Now come, child, show me the library, and we’ll talk.”

Harry showed Magnus to the library, where Magnus warded them against intrusions. “What do you know about Avalon?” Magnus opened with. 

Harry winced. “This is about the crown.” He stated. “I know about it. I turn fifteen in a week. That’s when any heirs have a full twenty four hours to claim their titles before their guardians can prevent them from holding them until they’re twenty-one. Albus Dumbledore has been pulling my strings for as long as I can remember. He didn't even tell me about the monarchy that my parents were hoping to reestablish after Voldemort’s death. If it weren’t for the goblins, he may have even succeeded at draining my parents vaults. As it is, I’m playing ignorant until I can make my claim. Then, Magic will enforce my right to rule, and abolish the Ministry that’s built itself up.”

Magnus nodded. “I assume you found your parent’s journals?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. You must be either a Downworlder or an Angelborn to be over four hundred years old.”

“I am a Downworlder. A Warlock. I actually came to speak with your father because of the crown. Instead, I think I’ll speak to you. Maybe we can help each other. I hid in your community for four years because of Valentine Morgenstern, who wanted to eliminate all Downworlders. When he vanished, I left. I promised I’d come back to check up on your parents in the next fifteen years or so. Valentine resurfaced, and he’s attempting to cause war. The Shadowhunters are coming close to breaking the Accords, so we, the Downworlders, went to plan B. We elected our Kings for each race, and elected the Warlocks to lead us all, and are building a court. Like there is Avalon, there is now the Nightshade court. 

I came to talk about an alliance. Right now, you have enough space, especially once you reclaim some of the spaces that were lost under Avalon wards, however if you have a population boom, eventually, it’ll start to get crowded. We have a plan. The Mundanes have a ton of landfills, that take up a huge portion of land, and plenty of radiation filled ground. If we helped buy the lands, we came up with what we think is an even split. Someone else is approaching the Angelborn, but we’d like to pool all our resources to buy the landfills and such. Then, after we do our glamours, the Angelborn will wipe all knowledge from the Mundane systems, and you can wipe their minds. We will all help to clear them. You can help with stretching the space with expansion charms. Then, we split the land, 2/5 for us and the Angelborn, since we have no land at all, and the remaining fifth for you. in return, you get 3/5 of the profit, and we’ll split the 2/5 among us and the Angelborn. Once we’ve finished with that, we’ll have locations where all still functioning landfills will send their waste for continuous profit, and when we run out of land, we’d like to work together for something else. I have a theory that all three of our magics could raise islands and hide them, but we don’t need to explore that until we run out of room.”

Harry nodded along, asking questions, and clarifying both the way that the Nightshade court was arranged, and the magic they’d need of Avalon to determine titles, ect. 

When they emerged from the library, five hours later, Dumbledore was waiting for them, but Harry met his eye unflinchingly. Magnus had provided mental protection until Harry could provide his own. 

“Magnus Bane needed to tell me my parent’s wishes concerning certain private things. He was here to speak to my father concerning the war gong on among his own people, and to warn him that contact may be dangerous for a while outside of our own communities. He said that there is a man named Valentine Morgenstern who wishes to wipe out all of Magnus’s people, and should he come across us, he may seek to steal our magic for his use, so watch out.  Finally, as the Potter heir, it was my duty to facilitate a meeting between the Goblins and Magnus, concerning matters of his people and their finances. In return, Magnus has gifted me with mental protection to keep out not only Voldemort, but truth serums and Dementors. These were matters that can only be taken care of by a Potter, and thus, it is not your responsibility to keep Magnus away from me. We’ve set the meeting with the Goblins for next week, on my birthday, when I’ll be able to actually facilitate the meeting. None of you may stop me, and Magnus can tear through your spells should you attempt to.

* * *

A week later, although several people had tried to keep Harry from his meeting with Magnus, Sirius and Remus had made sure that Harry made it out. Magnus met him at the bank. They didn’t need to wait in line. Magnus had made sure they got a note making an appointment. 

“Greetings.” Harry said politely. “I have a meeting with Master Baknigth. It concerns Avalon.” He said quietly. They were immediately shown the way to a huge office. 

The goblin inside bowed. “Greetings, Lord of Avalon. I assume you are here to claim your throne?”

Harry nodded and grasped his wand. “I name myself Lord Potter. I claim my birthrights, as passed down by my ancestors. I accept the responsibilities that they have passed down upon me, and any titles I may beholden to provide for. I, who name myself as Hadrian James Charlus Potter, son of Lily, son of James, do swear with honor that I, according to the laws, shall faithfully discharge the functions of the office of the Emperor of Avalon. I shall possess pure faith and obedience to Avalon. I shall preserve, support and secure the laws and I shall deal with all with equity as suggested by laws, without being affected by fear or mercy, love or hatred. I vow this upon my magic, to secure for myself and my heirs a true loyalty to Avalon and her people. So I swear in the name of Lady Magic.”

A golden glow filled the office for a moment, and when it vanished, Harry was changed. He was taller, all the problems of his childhood, his malnutrition and abuse had been corrected. His hair was streaked with a golden stripe, to represent his vow to magic, and his eyes reflected golden flecks. Upon his brow sat a mithril circlet, glittering with the magic of the realm, studded with garnet and jade. Upon his fingers glittered three house rings: Potter, Peverell, and Slytherin. 

Magnus smiled at him. “You will need to take over your kingdom, but with the help of your godfather, once you ensure his freedom, and the goblins, who have sworn their loyalty to the Empire of Avalon, it shouldn’t take much.” He turned to address the goblin. “We’d like to draw up a contract. We’ve received word that the Angelborn have agreed to also join the treaty, but are still ironing out their government, so we’ll leave provisions in for them.”

Harry nodded at his peer and goblin turned to the goblin. “We would like the goblin nation to agree to provide financial service to all three, the Angelborn, Magicblessed, and Downworlders, as an independent nation, dedicated to ensuring all three governments are in no danger of failing, so that what has happened to Avalon does not happen again. This will, of course, need to be discussed with your King. For now, we would like to draw up a treaty of peace between Avalon and the Nightshade Court. There will be an agreement to purchase all landfills and otherwise uninhabited land of the Mundanes, with an agreement to hide it.” He continued to lay out the proposal, which the goblin drew up. At the end, he and Magnus signed it. 

Harry turned and clasped hands with Magnus. “Emperor Magnus, Lord of the Nightshade Court, it was a pleasure to sign this treaty with you. At a further date, I should like to discuss our ambassadors, and the reclamation of land from the memories of the Mundane. For now, please take my best wishes in the establishment of your court.”

Magnus grinned at him. “I’ve known Emperors. You did that well, Emperor Hadrian, Lord of Avalon and all her territories.”

They grinned at each other. “Merry Part.” Harry said formally. 

“Merry Part.” Magnus acknowledged as he left, first hurdle taken care of.


	4. An Empress is born, and oaths are made.

Chapter 4: Angelborn

As the highest ranking mage, Stiles was aware that she had responsibilities. Still, she was, at nineteen, normally left alone. The Spellbinder council did most things without her, and she normally wouldn’t need to deal with anything until she turned twenty-five. Normally. She stared at the man in front of her. His name was Lucian Graymark. She hadn’t been sure what to expect when summoned by the council, but this was a bit insane. 

“Someone needs to explain more clearly what’s going on.” She ordered. James Farrow, one of the Elders, spoke up. “Many years ago, the goddess Magic bestowed a blessing upon her worshipers, which blessed them with her gift. A hundred years later, it had turned into a bloodline gift. The blessed, along with her creation, such as goblins and centaurs, were further known as the Magicblessed. Soon after, a dark one captured both angels, and demons, and using their blood, began experiments. Before then, only demons walked the Earth. After over fifty years of experimentation, several people broke free, and killed the dark one. Those with Angelblood resembled humans, and showed differing powers, depending on the type of angel blood in them. The ones with demon blood, with few exceptions, were unable to pass for human, due to one reason or another, and so were easily able to pick out. Those with Angelblood were known as the Angelborn. Those with demon blood became known as the Downworlders. Then the Angel Raziel worked to create the Shadowhunters, to keep the dark elements in check. Before long, they grew to despise the Downworlders. The Angelborn and Magicblessed were hidden from them, and never betrayed by the Downworlders.”

Lucian started up. “Currently, a Shadowhunter by the name of Valentine Morgenstern is attempting to destroy all Downworlders, once and for all, and a tortured Seelie accidentally gave away the existence of the Angelborn and the Magicblessed. We intend to retreat from the world, hide from Mundane and Shadowhunter alike, and invite the Angelborn to join us.”

Stiles hmmed. “I see. And while many of us, the Angelborn, have not had a monarchy, the Spellbinders did once, and still honor many of those titles. So you came to us, to help convince the others.”

Graymark nodded. “Yes. I understand that modern technology and an increase in hunter activity has lead to awful deaths, even to the innocent. Retreating from the Mundane world would provide protection.”

“How would you suggest this happen?” Stiles asked reservedly. “How would we form an economy. What type of government have the various Downworlders formed, and how would they expect us to hide? Where would we live?”

Graymark seemed surprised, but answered her questions. “Any of us who could live in the Mundane world and have money have looked into the best ways to buy gold and precious gems. The Magicblessed can deal with memories, so we’ve talked to local governments, and as we pull out all our money, sell all the homes and such that we won’t need, and buy precious gems, and gold, one of their memory specialists wipes all memory of us, and another specialist wipes all traces of us from their documentation. Our Emperor is approaching the Goblins, a race that banks for the Magicblessed, to be our bankers as well, and they deal in gold. To form the royal treasury, we pay a one time thirty percent tax. The first twenty percent is for the Emperor, and the next ten percent is for the King of our race. After we’ve completely established out government, there will be a flat tax. We suggest some sort of monarchy, as we did, due to the ancient nature of some. When you’re so long lived, a democracy seems unstable. They unravel quickly, but monarchies have been around for years. We also do glamours well, and the Magicblessed are very good at space expansion. What we’re proposing is to take all the uninhabitable areas, make them livable, divide them among the three, and split the profits. An economy can then be formed around basic needs, like it was in the past, food, buildings, luxury items. The blood of any Angelborn is exceedingly valuable to the vampires, because it makes them Daywalkers, and thus able to bear children. In fact, even Warlocks can have children with the Angelborn. We will still need doctors, nurses, cops, teachers, ect. It will just be localized to the hidden worlds, not the Mundane. We’ll build our own schools, and libraries, and universities and hospitals.”

Stiles was thinking a very awful thought, but it made the most sense. “Thank you, Lord Graymark. If you would let us speak amongst ourselves, we’ll contact you with a few proposals, or an answer.”

After he left, Stiles looked at the court. It seemed several of them had the same thought. “If we did this, we would need to tie us together tightly, in order to coexist.” James pointed out. 

“And there are so few, in comparison to the Mundane.” Maxwell Underwood pointed out. 

“We could become part of the Nightshade Court.” Stiles said softly. Everyone went quiet. “Although we Spellbinders already have a ranking, the other races could elect their Kings. Then, we could vote for a leading race. It would probably be us. Most of them look to us to solve disputes already. We provide emissaries and healers and everything else. A marriage, to tie the two leaders together, and an unbroken monarchy line. Eventually, there will be a King or Queen of the Spellbinders, one for the Warlocks, and another line for the Emperor, which would not be bound to a single race. Eventually, any race could marry in if it was necessary.” 

James looked at her sadly. He’d known her mother. “Before we abolished Kings and Queens, it was your line that led. You would be the one to marry the Emperor.”

She nodded. “I know.” She maintained a stiff upper lip. “The Hale Alphas have always led the werewolves, and now, Derek’s more popular than ever. He’d probably be the shifter king. The Vampires already have their own ranking system, and would gain a lot from being able to feed and live openly. We’d be able to enlist help to wipe the minds of the hunters. And we could occasionally bring in mundanes with the packs, when we need it. The fae are technically downworlders, since they combined, due to their declining numbers. The other races won’t protest if emissaries and other Spellbinders go and speak with them. It would mean safety.”

A younger member of the council, Martina Drenfur spoke up. “What about mundane family members?”

Maxwell spoke up. “Either they leave the Mundanes to live under the laws of their family members, or their minds are wiped, and we only visit occasionally. It’s what’s safest for all of us.”

* * *

Later that night, after they’d recessed before a vote, and after they’d put the word out, a family of dryads were killed by hunters. The Geranara were not only one of the oldest of the dryad families, but they were leaders in the entire nymph community. Something had to be done. The Spellbinder council voted unanimously to reinstate the titles, and form a government with the Nightshade Court. As soon as others heard, other councils held votes. Before midday the next day, every group had voted to joint a court, and a few had already voted in leaders and worked on drafts of laws. They put the word out. In two days, they would hold a meeting on Seelie land, which was safe from hunters, to vote for the leading race, and to vote on whether to become one with the Nightshade Court, or to form their own government.

* * *

Stiles, as Queen, could no longer show up in jeans. Today, due to the formality, Derek, a fellow King, had managed to get her into a blue strapless beaded dress with a beautiful design at the bottom, with a floor length chiffon half sleeve cloak. With the mithril and fire opal crown, she looked stunning, and very much like a Queen. Derek was dressed in a Tunic length shirt that buttoned to the side, almost Indian style, in a verdant green. His crown was simpler, made of wrought white gold, and emerald studding it. After all the races were there, Stiles stood to open the discussion. 

“Welcome.” She said solemnly. When she got her power under control, her ADHD had vanished, and now she was as regal as an Empress. “The hunters are out of control. We all know this. First the Hales, and then several other prominent families, before finally the Gerenaras. It’s no longer safe for us to live among the Mundane. Long have we hidden. While we go into hiding now, it will be a new kind of freedom. We will have communities to be open about ourselves. The Downworlders have also chosen to hide. As we choose a leading race, the only way to keep order among us, we also have another choice. Should we choose to form our own government, the Nightshade Court will be our ally, and help us claim our own lands. However, we also have another choice. Should we choose to join the Nightshade court, the member of the leading race must put forth a noble wife to become Empress, to join our people, and establish a line that is neither us, nor them, but both.” Maxwell, who’d been chosen to assist, passed out the race election stones. “There is a spell on these stones. Please hold these stones to your hearts, and the magic will help you choose what you truly believe to be the best race to lead us. You and your council will each receive a stone. When all of you have voted, the name from your stones will cast a vote into those counters. We will all agree to abide by this decision, before we decide on joining the Nightshade Court.”

She stepped down, and accepted her own stone. Casting her mind out, she thought hard about the best race for the job. She truly believed the Spellbinders were the best prepared to lead. As she opened her eyes, she saw the word _Spellbinders_ on the stone, before it wrenched itself from her hand and darted to the Spellbinder counter. Several other stones dashed forward. Soon, stones streamed from every race, and the counters started filling. The Spellbinders were the most popular, but the Shifters and the Nymphs were also very popular. Stiles turned to look at Derek as the final votes were cast, before the counters finished counting the stones. He smiled at her. 

“It’ll be okay.” He mouthed at her. She smiled back, albeit shakily. Somehow, she knew that she would be Empress of the Nightshade Court. She just knew. She would marry a complete stranger, and bear him at least three children.

She stood up as the counters chimed. “Are there any who wish to contest the magic of the stones?” She asked. None spoke up. “Very well, you have nominated the Spellbinders as the leading race, and thus myself as your leader. Now, I open discussion on joining the Nightshade Court, before we open it to a vote. Several races have also drawn up proposals of the way things ought to be run, should we form our own government. They have not included any names within the proposals, so none will be biased by race. The Nightshade Court proposal is also in the packet you received and have studied. We will open discussion, before we vote.”

The Nymphs spoke up. “I am Queen Nepta Tansea, a Water Sprite, of the Nymphs. I have a question about the Nightshade Court. There are mentions of things the Magicblessed will be doing. Are these forgone facts, or is there another plan if they can’t help?”

Stiles smiled. “Well met, Queen Nepta. I spoke with King Graymark, of the Werewolves in the Nightshade Court, after we voted to hide. He said that their Emperor, Magnus Bane, of the Warlocks, has made contact with Hadrian Potter, the Emperor of Avalon. His parents were murdered, but three days ago, he can claimed his throne, which Magic will enforce. He’s agreed to support the Nightshade Court, and provide help. In the meantime, several local governments of the Magicblessed have been helping, because they do not wish to attract attention, as he works on slowly switching over power with the least amount of chaos.”

Several other questions were posed and answered, before there began a debate about the pros and cons of joining the Nightshade Court and other proposals. Four hours later, the debate petered out. “Are we all ready to vote?” She asked again as Maxwell passed out the stones again. There were no dissenters. 

Stiles took her stone, and although she wished it was not so, she knew the Nightshade Court was the best thing for them. When she opened her eyes, the word _Nightshade_ was emblazoned on the stone. It headed to the counters. The Nightshade Proposal was the most popular, that was immediately clear, even before the counters finished. 

At the final tally, she looked over at Derek, and let one tear slip. She would be marrying the Emperor, Magnus Bane. No matter that it was the best thing for all of them, she was disappointed. Magnus Bane had agreed that if they voted on joining, that he would marry their chosen bride, but she’d never met him, and Spellbinders lived as long as Warlocks. Hopefully they could make a peaceful marriage for themselves, happy, if not necessarily loving.

There was a lull, after the vote, before Derek stood. “Queen Stanisławska Adelajda Stilinski, Lady of the Spellbinders, you have been named Empress of the Angelborn, soon to be Empress of the Nightshade Court. Come forth and take your vow before your court.”

Stiles stepped forwards slowly, before raising her had and allowing a ball of golden light to form. “"I, Stanisławska Adelajda Stilinski, do solemnly affirm that I, according to the laws, shall faithfully discharge the functions of the office of the Empress. I shall possess pure faith and obedience to those known as the Angelborn. I shall preserve, support and secure the Nightshade Court and I shall deal with all with equity as suggested by laws, without being affected by fear or mercy, love or hatred. I vow this upon my magic, that upon my marriage to the Emperor of the Nightshade Court, I shall extend this vow to all under my rule, Angelborn or Downworlder, and that nothing will bar me from doing my duty to the best of my ability.” She said, trembling with the weight of the vow and what it suggested. She didn’t know if she could do this.


	5. Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do I have to say "I do"?

When Magnus first heard, he thought it was some cosmic joke. His object of interest has an arranged marriage so he has to have one too? Then he thought about it. Queen Stanisławska Adelajda Stilinski was 19. He was over 400. She was probably scared too, and the fact that she was willing to go through with it said a lot about her character. They were scared, and they were both doing it for their people.

Right now, the process of building the government was slow. As a sign of good faith, Hadrian had arranged for four of the largest landfills in America to be cleared, and his bride-to-be had gone over to England and signed the treaty, acknowledging the Angelborn as part of the Nightshade Court, and their job in navigating the Mundane world to help sell the base products, and buy the land. The Seelies had plenty of land for the Downworlders on a temporary basis, although they’d like to get their lands back in the next ten or so years, and the Fae had opened their lands to the Angelborn temporarily as well, so they liquidated as fast as the Magicblessed could handle, and helped buy up all the landfills. The Americas first, as the headquarters for the Nightshade Court. The tax helped, and they managed to get several villages of Downworlders settled, and there was no danger of overcrowding the Seelie lands or the Fae lands.

Then they turned their attention to building courts. Magnus claimed land down in Florida, for his main Court. Hopefully, his bride would agree for it to be their capital, as he felt his was more centrally located than her court, which was more accessible for Asia. He’d actually managed to find a huge landfill that had leaked to the beach and polluted the water. They cleaned it up, and the 400-acre site was closer to 40,000 acres once the Magicblessed had done their work, roughly the same size as Washington D.C. Then, they built a sprawling palace near the water, with several nearby estates, and a town. These estates would belong to either important court members or ambassadors. Gringotts built a bank on the other side of the court town, with several shops on either side for Goblin merchants, since Emperor Hadrian had lifted the law banning them from living or working topside, other than the bank. There were also various government building, housing projects, and a mall. It was a huge endeavor, but he was pretty satisfied with the result.

When planning his palace, Magnus made sure his Empress received an entire wing for herself. While they would need to be husband and wife, she deserved a place she could retreat to. He was also aware that in Hawaii, she was being built her own court, where she would be the important one, and he would be the outsider who married in, at least for now.

It took nearly a year to clear enough space for the obvious Downworlders. When they were settled, and the building was able to proceed at a more sedate pace, Magnus called for Tessa, who was planning his wedding, as well as being the Regent for the Warlocks until he provided an heir for them. “How is my bride?” He asked nervously. He hadn’t met her yet. She’d been acting through intermediaries, and they would be married on her twenty-first birthday.

Tessa smiled at him. “She uses the name Stiles, and she’s doing as well as could be expected.” She calmed him.

“And the wedding?” He was nervous.

“Is in three months. Her court will be finished in a few weeks, and she’ll leave things to her council unless they need her. She’s been planning on making Hawaii the Judicial capital. That way, there are separate courts for the Supreme Courts and the Monarchy. When you’re wedded, the Angelborn and Downworlders become one, and her Court will be capital for the Asia area and the Judicial system, while this will be for the Americas and the Monarchy. We’ll need two more courts, eventually. Most likely, the Legislative System, with all the councils, will be over in Europe, and the Military over in Africa.

Emperor Hadrian contacted me this morning. He’s getting married as well. She’s nobility in their culture, and he’d like you and your wife at his wedding next year. His wife will be the Lady Delan, currently of the House Liao, of the Burning Flame. She’s the Princess of the Asian Kingdom, who’ve been giving him the most trouble. The various Kings and Queens of his territories are also communicating with us. We’ve been able to build a thriving economy with many of them, and as we expand our areas, life is getting less cramped.”

“Good.” He said nervously. He really didn’t know what he was doing. How had he become King so quickly?His brow furrowed as he thought of something. “What about the Shadowhunters? Have they suspected anything? And Valentine?”

She shook her head. “No. As we thin down the vampire and werewolf ranks with the moves, we try not to make it too obvious. Most of the others don’t cause a lot of trouble, and we’ve been making sure to keep the clubs full most of the time until the move is complete. Then the last of them will cut and run with the last of the gold. Valentine knows something’s up, but he doesn’t know what, and we’ve kept him from getting his hands on any more of us. He’s been quiet since he got the cup, likely building an army.

And Hadrian helped the Angelborn wipe out the memories of every hunter, and steal all their knowledge. The university in California received it all, and the elders there who volunteered to get everything in order have sorted it and packaged it into books. They’ve corrected anything wrong, and then the pixies have made a huge business printing books. It’s apparently easy for them, and the dryads supply paper. The other two universities have received copies, as have the two libraries.

We were worried about the economy, but it’s booming. People are enjoying not needing to hide. The vampires, in particular, have enjoyed blood bars. Some of the Angelborn shifters have opened such bars, where they sell their blood to make Daywalkers, and also sell laced alcohol for their own kind. There’s not a lot of friction between the Angelborn and Downworlders either. Everyone’s just really relieved to be free of hiding.”

* * *

Sam and Dean Winchester pulled into the Roadhouse, a common stop for hunters. They hadn’t had a serious hunt in months, mostly hauntings. As they sat down with some acquaintance hunters, they started to grow alarmed. It wasn’t just them. Those paranormal freaks were up to something, and they were UNIFIED because none of the hunters had had a hunt. Known Supernaturals they were waiting for a shot at were disappearing. 

“What the hell?”Dean asked when his brother and he hit the road again. “Sammy, something’s going on.”

“Stop calling me Sammy.” His brother Sam shot back. “And I know, but what? And what can we do about it?”

“The Saigou family we’ve had an eye on in Seattle. The ones we’re pretty sure are Kitsune. Let’s go up there, follow them, and grab one if we think we can figure out what they’re up to.”

Dean agreed and turned up the music a bit. “Close your eyes and get some sleep, Sammy. You’re driving the night shift!”

* * *

Stiles stood alone in her new bedroom. She’d arrived at Emperor Magnus Bane’s palace about an hour ago, and while her ladies-in-waiting dealt with wardrobe and other such details, she was going to stand here and catch her breath. She hadn’t met him yet. That would happen tonight, at a formal function. Their wedding would be in a week. She was marrying a total stranger. Emperor Hadrian had approached her about two months ago about arranging a marriage for their yet to be conceived child. He felt that at some point, it might prove more advantageous to marry his line into the Nightshade Empire, absorb them into the Avalon Empire, and once again unite the “supernatural” factions, as they were when they were first created and born. But how could she consign a child of hers to this same helpless fear? She started when the door opened, and relaxed when she saw who it was. Saigou Aki, her head lady-in-waiting, and her friend. She was a Kitsune. 

“Aki.” She said in relief. Her friend smiled sympathetically. She knew about Stiles’s worries, and about Hadrian’s proposal. He wanted there to eventually be one Empire, and for the races to gradually merge and lose some of the strict bloodlines. He hoped for more unity and acceptance to come of this massive change.

“Stiles.” She smiled. She held up her arms. “I brought you a dress. The ladies are preparing things for dinner, but Emperor Magnus sent a note inviting you to a bit more intimate lunch. He wanted his first meeting with you to go a bit differently. You’ve been engaged for more than a year and never met. He thought it might be easier to get to know each other with a trusted few.”

Stiles felt a huge sense of relief and a hope that this marriage would go well because they’d be stuck together a long time… at least 500 years.

* * *

Stiles was 1/4 Indian and 3/4 Polish. Her mother gave her the Indian blood, and like the Warlocks, Spellbinders had Hindu origins. Unlike the Warlocks, they kept those traditions, so Stiles’ mother, before the dementia, and Stiles herself had always known how to dress traditionally, which was a relief when they started segregating and relieved Mythese (Mythi singular) could revert back to what they considered appropriate, which was typically the traditional wear of about the 1800’s or older in the country of origin of the race. She wore a saree now, for lunch with her fiancé. He was already there when she arrived, and quickly stood and pulled out her chair for her, giving her a hand, and treating her like a lady. “Stanisławska…” He said quietly. They were alone, but for a chaperone, who sat unobtrusively at the other end of the ling table. 

“Please.” She said softly, stopping him. “Call me Stiles. We’re to be married after all.”

“Stiles.” He acknowledged. “Please call me Magnus. I’m sorry it had to be this way. I’m a great deal older than you, and you had your whole life ahead of you.”

She smiled sadly. “No, I didn’t.” She explained. “When I turned 25, I would have been called upon to become Head of the Spellbinder’s Council and marry someone politically motivated or powerful. I just would have had a bit more choice. Besides, there’s every possibility I would have been killed. When I was seven, my mother was poisoned by a hunter. His name was John Winchester. He believed my mother’s magic was unnatural, but that she was a normal human, so he dosed her with something that cut her off from magic. If she was normal, as he thought, it would have worked. But my mother was a Spellbinder. Magic was in her Angelborn blood. It took two years for her magic to turn against herself for lack of an outlet and kill her. The doctors called it dementia. If I’d been identified, the same could have happened to me.”

They talked for an hour over lunch, and the evening function was fun. Unfortunately, the next time she would see him would be at her wedding. He had to tour all the Angelborn palaces, as she had the Downworlder ones before she’d arrived.

* * *

The week had passed too quickly. For all that she’d come to like Magnus, she wasn’t ready to be married to him. They’d had a traditional, 3-day wedding, and she was exhausted. She’d worn the wedding lehenga, and a multitude of other outfits, been covered in henna, and now, she was joining her husband in his rooms for their first night. The magic of the bonding ritual mean there needed to be consummation. 

“Stiles.” Her husband said as her attendants left the room, leaving the two of them alone. He held out a hand, and she took it, trying to calm her nerves.

* * *

Magnus felt sick. He could see she was afraid, but this was necessary. He pulled her into his arms and led her to the bed, doing his best to be gentle. It wasn’t passion filled, but it wasn’t bad either. His new wife kissed him softly. “Thank you.” 

He hated it. She was thanking him for being kind in their wedding bed. He achingly thought of Alec. He wanted that passion back. He squeezed her hand. “Go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”


End file.
